


Trust Is A Fragile Thing

by avienexjel



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: (but kinda messes up at first), Apologetic Avengers, Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Guilt, Hurt Tony Stark, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 13:38:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9126025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avienexjel/pseuds/avienexjel
Summary: Imagine Loki deciding to pull a prank on Iron Man by hitting him with a magic blast that allows the rest of the Avengers to have control over what Tony says and does for the next twelve hours.  At first the team is careful not to demand anything of the billionaire but then they get annoyed with him…(especially Clint)





	1. Skeletons In The Closet

**Author's Note:**

> I love both Clint and Tony but things will get bad before they get better...  
> 

**one**

Clint was, quite frankly, getting frustrated with Tony’s frequent complaints.  “Why did I have to get stuck with this stupid spell?” the engineer whined for what must’ve been the seventh time in four minutes.  “Why can’t Birdbrain be the one that Loki likes to mess with?”

“Can’t you keep your mouth shut?” Clint snapped, glaring at Tony.  “As long as we don’t give you any commands, you still have free reign of your body.”  The archer was vividly reminded of Loki’s mind control, and the flashback only managed to worsen his mood.   _At least Stark doesn’t have to go through that,_ he thought darkly.  He knew he was being a little bit unfair to Tony, but the man’s constant complaining was getting to him.

“Sir, I must agree with Agent Barton,” JARVIS said, and if AIs could have emotions, then JARVIS certainly sounded amused.

Tony rolled his eyes.  “Great.  Now the thing I created is turning against me.  JARVIS, mute.  Don’t alert me or do _anything_ unless there’s a call for the Avengers to assemble; override code Sleep Snake Nine Six."

Tony groaned loudly and slumped back.  “This _sucks.”_

“That’s life, Stark,” Natasha said as she came into the kitchen, plucking an apple from the fruit platter on the counter.  “You’ll have to deal with it.”

“Thanks, Natashalie,” Tony shot back with a resigned sigh.  “Fine.  Okay.  See?  This is me, dealing with it.”

Natasha rolled her eyes at him.  “Movie night’s in five minutes.  Both of you hurry up.”  She exited the kitchen as smoothly as she had entered.  Ever since Fury had demanded Stark to open up his Tower to house the Avengers and Tony had grudgingly agreed, Steve had formed a schedule for the team.  With lots of persuasion, the supersoldier had managed to get a routine in order for the inhabitants of the newly christened Avengers Tower.  Game Night was Tuesday, Movie Night was Friday, and Team Bonding was during the weekend.  (Needless to say, Tony was at first hesitant to join and often skipped meetings, but eventually had accepted it as part of his daily life.  With Bruce’s and Clint’s cajoling, Tony was now attending a successful two out of five team sessions per week.  But then, they had all only moved in together three months ago, right after the battle of New York.  The engineer deserved a little time to get used to all the intruders in his house.)

Clint finished pouring his milk into his bowl of Lucky Charms and shoved the carton back into the fridge, sealing the cereal bag and placing it in a cupboard.  “Stark, Loki’s magic only lasts for twelve hours.  That’s not that long.  You only have eleven hours left.”

“Fuck,” was the billionaire’s only reply as he buried his head in his hands.  “Barton, have I told you how much this sucks yet?”

_“Yes,_ Stark.”  Clint hoisted Tony up by the arm.  “C’mon, we’ve got movie time.”

The pair entered the living room to find the rest of the Avengers already sprawled across the couches and chairs, making themselves comfy.  Thor was the only one missing tonight, as he was back in Asgard visiting friends.  Bruce was by himself in a plaid-decorated chair, a blanket draped over his legs and looking content.  Natasha was seated in one corner of the couch, as relaxed looking as one of the most deadly assassins in the US could.  Steve was in the other armchair, a sketchpad on his lap.

“Miss me?” Tony said as he sauntered over to the couch, plopping onto the couch cushion next to Natasha.  Clint settled down between them both, bowl of cereal in hand and already reaching for the popcorn on the table in front of them.  

“Oh, yes, definitely,” Bruce said dryly as he picked up the remote and turned on the TV.  “Actually, Tony, it’s your turn to pick the movie.”

“Great!  Finally some happiness in my day,” Tony snarked.  “We’re watching Harry Potter.  A classic.  Capsicle still needs to catch up.”

“Stark,” Steve warned.  

“Sorry, sorry,” Tony said offhandedly.  “Just a little antsy today, because you know, _Loki_ and _fucking magic spells.”_

“Tony,” Bruce sighed.

“Banner.”

“Tony.”

“Brucie.”

_“Tony.”_

The engineer continued to grumble about the unfairness of magic when Clint finally threw his hands up and shouted, “Stark, sit down!  Now.”

Tony was fully prepared to refuse when he started moving.  His eyes widened and he fought against whatever was taking control of his body to no avail.  Against his will, his legs carried his suddenly paralyzed body over to the couch.  “Clint, what the hell?” he gasped out, anger flooding his senses.  Thank God he could still talk.  As soon as his ass hit the cushions, he regained his muscle movement.  He whirled on the archer.  “You know what Loki did!  What the hell was that?”  Tony fought to tamp down the sudden wave of hurt.  Obadiah appeared in his mind.  Obadiah ripping the arc reactor out of his chest, giving him temporary paralysis, leaving him to die.  And now Clint…

_You’re overreacting,_ he told himself sternly.   _Like Howard always said, Stark men are made of iron._

“You wouldn’t sit down,” Clint defended himself.  

“Honestly, Stark,” Steve interjected.  “Just because you own this Tower doesn’t mean you can just strut around and annoy us whenever you want.  You've been whining ever since we got back."

“Actually, I can,” Tony said, but the Captain continued, “and I still don’t know how amazing people like Pepper or Colonel Rhodes can stand you.  Just...just leave, Stark.  I’d like to enjoy this movie now.”

_Dammit,_ Tony thought darkly, glaring at his traitorous legs as they began to move him out of the room.

“Come on, Rogers,” Bruce said quietly.  “Tony, come back.”

Tony immediately headed back towards the couch.  Outwardly, he looked calm, but inside was a torrent of frustration and panic.  Perhaps it was worse to be mind controlled and forced to do someone else’s bidding, but it still felt awful to have your most trusted father figure in your life rip out the very thing keeping you alive while not being able to do anything but watch.  Either way, though, Tony knew that he did _not_ like having no control over his body.

“Banner, he’s disrupting Movie Night and quite frankly, I’m tired and not in the mood for this,” Steve said peevedly.  

Tony threw his hands up.  “Do you know what?  I--”

“Stark, be quiet,” Clint said, standing up and pointing at the doorway.  “I can’t deal with this right now.  Go, go--I don’t know, go hide in your closet until we tell you you can come out.”

Tony’s mouth snapped shut, but not because he wanted it to.  He opened his mouth to yell, but realized his lips were clamped shut.   _Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.  Why did I tell JARVIS to mute?_

Bruce shifted in his chair, but didn’t say anything else.  Everyone turned back to watch as the Dursleys yelled at Harry, Tony slowly walking away.

 

To say Tony was scared was an understatement.  No, he was fucking terrified.  He was going to be stuck until Clint or one of the other Avengers told him to come out, he wouldn’t be able to do a _thing_ until someone came or the rest of his eleven hours were up…

His feet dragged him over to the closet, and his heart caught in his throat.  Ever since Afghanistan, he had loathed dark, cramped spaces.  It reminded him of the cave, the pitch black of it all during the night, the pain behind closed eyelids, the torture--

Tony lifted his head resolutely even as the closet door shut behind him and he dropped to his knees, curling up in a ball.  He wasn’t going to panic.   _Don’t think about Yinsen, don’t think about Obadiah, oh God don’t think about the wormhole._ The wormhole was almost exactly like the closet, the suit shut down and squeezing his body like a noose, space as beautiful and dark and empty but more empty than he had imagined.  And definitely, definitely more dark.

The memories of carrying the missile into space flashed into his mind.  The falling... The darkness...  The _loneliness_ of it, the thought that he was going to die alone in space surrounded by nothing but explosions and blackness and stars.

Tony opened his mouth and tried to shout, “LET ME OUT OF HERE,” but no sound came out.  With a silent curse, he remembered Clint telling him to quiet.  Well, now he couldn’t do anything but sit tight and wait till someone remembered him.

Tony tried to calm his breathing down.  He only had to wait two hours.  That was approximately how long Harry Potter movies were, right?  Just two hours, then Clint or someone else would come to fetch him and everything would be fine.

+++

The next morning, everyone was sleepy eyed besides Steve and Natasha--of course.  The team had ended up watching the second Harry Potter movie and had gone to bed around midnight.  By eight thirty am, the last Avenger--Bruce--had made his way into the kitchen for breakfast where Steve’s freshly cooked eggs and bacon sat steaming in plates on the table.  “Where’s Tony?” the scientist asked when he had finally gotten his bearings.  “He hasn’t come up yet, has he?”

“Nah,” Clint shook his head, “but Stark’s always holed up in his workshop making something new.  He’ll come up if he wants.”

“The spell,” Steve said suddenly, looking up.  “The spell’s done now, isn’t it?”  Clint counted in his head.  Tony had been cursed at around 7pm, and it was 8:30 now, so...it had been thirteen and a half hours.  The archer nodded at Steve.

“I think I’m going to go down to the workshop and check on Tony to see if he’s okay,” Bruce said, stifling a yawn.  He narrowed his eyes at Clint.  “Oh, God, we forgot to let him out of the closet yesterday.”  The scientist covered his face.  “Tony’s never going to forgive us.  He must’ve been stuck there until...seven am, oh God.”  Bruce stood up, pushing away from the table.

“Closet?” Natasha said, frowning.

“Yeah.”  Clint shrugged.  “I mean, he probably just went to sleep in there or something.  I mean, he couldn’t have done much else.  I told him to be quiet.”

Bruce’s eyes widened in horror.  “I can’t believe I left Tony like that,” the man mumbled to himself.  “I’m a monster.”

The scientist immediately left for the elevator.  “I’m heading to the workshop to check on him.”

All of a sudden, Natasha closed her eyes.  “No.  He’s not in the workshop,” she said slowly.  “I think I…”  She bit her lip and swore in Russian.  “Guys, he’s not in the workshop, I think he’s still in the closet.”

“Why would he still be in the closet?” Clint questioned, confused.  “You mean he’s still asleep?  I mean, the guy totally overworks himself, so…”

“No.”  Natasha pinned him with a fierce stare.  “I can’t believe I forgot.”

“Forgot what?” Steve asked, drawing closer.  “Forgot what, Natasha?”

“Tony has PTSD,” she finally sighed.  “He was taken for three months in Afghanistan.  You know that, right?”

“Yeah,” Clint said slowly.  “But what does that have to do with right now?”

Natasha ignored him.  “He also had a bad dealing with Obadiah Stane, and I think he’s been having nightmares about the wormhole.”  She swore again in Russian.  “This is not good,” she said under her breath, looking at both Steve and Clint.

“What?”  Steve furrowed his brow.  “Clint’s right.  What does this have to do with the closet, or whatever Clint did to make Tony mute?”

Sorrow glinted in the female assassin’s eyes.  “He was _tortured,_ Steve.  Three months of torture on a civilian.  And then his second father figure, Stane, paralyzed him and ripped out his reactor.  And the wormhole…  Clint basically did what Stane did.  He paralyzed Tony and forced him to relinquish control over his own body.  He couldn’t even yell for help or protest.”  Natasha swallowed, the most emotion Clint had seen from her in months.  

“The closet,” Clint said, finally realizing.  He was finding it hard to breathe now.  Oh, God, I did this, I did this to Tony…  “It probably reminded him of the caves.  And the wormhole.”

Natasha nodded.

“We have to go,” Steve said firmly.  “We have to get Tony.   _Now.”_

The three Avengers raced off, their pulses racing in worry for their teammate--their friend.

+++

Tony knew he was a mess.  He was only half-conscious, but he could still imagine what kind of fucked up slob he looked like right now.  He had spent maybe two, three hours banging on the door, sobbing, hyperventilating.  The flashbacks he had managed to fight off for a while, but soon enough they had come--even more pronounced because Loki’s magic just.  Wouldn’t.  Let him.  Fucking leave.

At one point, he’d passed out, and when he woke up he had a splitting headache.  Tony rubbed his hands over his face; he could feel the dried tear tracks beneath his fingers.  Fumbling with the doorknob, he finally opened the closet door after eleven hours of panic and collapsed on the carpet just outside.

When Tony woke up again, the room had brightened from daylight.  He lay there just staring at the ceiling for a few moments.  Of course Tony knew how the team thought of him.  They figured he was just the mouthy but brilliant playboy who had grown up with a golden spoon in his mouth his whole entire life.  They figured he’d slept with anything that had two legs, and cared for no one but himself.

Tony hissed as his skull throbbed again.  The Avengers were right--Tony _had_ slept with everyone, males included.  But he cared.  He cared for Pepper--even though they weren’t together anymore--he cared for Rhodey, for JARVIS, for Dum-E and You.  He cared for Bruce, Thor, Clint; hell, even Natasha and Steve.  The only problem was that no one ever cared for him.  He loved good people, but he wasn’t good enough for them to love him back.

Tony was just about to drift off again from exhaustion (when was the last time he had slept again?) when a voice shouted, “Stark!  Stark.   _Tony.”_

“Mmm?” Tony slurred, blinking his eyes open.  He saw Natasha’s face hovering above him.

The engineer bolted upright in an instant.  “What the fuck are you doing here?” he bit out between clenched teeth.  Scanning his surroundings, he saw Steve and Clint standing behind the deadly assassin with identical looks of concern.  Clint shifted when Tony’s gaze reached him, glancing down at the floor.  Tony stiffened.  

“What the hell?” he repeated.  “How did you guys get into my penthouse?”

“Override codes,” Steve said quietly.

“Well, get the fuck out,” Tony snapped, all traces of drowsiness gone.  He was glad he had wiped his face clean of tears before his teammates could find him here.   _Made of iron…_ “I don’t want any of you in here.  Fuck off.”

“Tony, I--I’m sorry,” Clint burst out suddenly, guilt etched into his features.  “I was just so pissed last night, and exhausted, and I didn’t...this is a really awful apology, I know, but I’m sorry.”

Tony looked at the archer for a long time with an indecipherable expression on his face and then finally said quietly, tiredly, “I spent three hours banging on the door, waiting for someone to let me out.  I tried to yell for you guys, but you _muted me._ I couldn’t ask JARVIS for help and JARVIS couldn’t help me because I couldn’t speak.  I couldn’t leave the closet.  Every time I tried, the magic controlling my body would just paralyze me and make me retreat.”  The billionaire’s eyes were filled with hurt.  After seconds of silence, Tony finally muttered, “Just go, Clint.  Please.  Leave.  All of you.”

“Stark--Tony--please just listen to us,” Steve said in one last act of desperation.  “Clint didn’t mean to.”

Tony’s face hardened.  “Don’t pretend it was just Barton, _Rogers._ It was all of you.”  He swallowed.  “Even Bruce.”  Natasha bit her lip, the closest reaction to a flinch that Tony had ever seen from the formidable woman.

Standing, the engineer brushed his hands off on his pants.  “I spent the entire damn night having flashbacks and nightmares,” he said calmly.  “I thought I could trust you, but I guess Tony Stark is too fucking stupid to learn his lesson from the first time around.”  He glanced at Natasha.  “Go ahead and fill them in on just why locking me _in a closet_ and taking _my body away from me_ is a bad idea.”  Tony shifted his gaze to one of the hidden cameras in the corner of his room.  “JARVIS, unmute.  Activate protocol Disappear, please.”  The elevator slid shut behind the billionaire as he left the suite.

Clint sucked in a breath.  “Shit,” the archer said as he exhaled.  He ran a hand through his hair.  “I didn’t--I didn’t _know.”_

"We know,” Steve said softly.

“That fact isn’t going to help Tony in any way though,” Natasha said firmly.  “We need to get Bruce and do something about this.  Banner’s always been closer to Tony than the rest of us.”

Clint swallowed and closed his eyes momentarily.  “Okay,” he said finally.  “I just...need to make this right.  I need to make this right for Tony.”


	2. Conflicted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony hides and then...JARVIS tells Pepper and Rhodey.  
> ALSO I changed the previous/first chapter so that Tony is so tired that he overrides JARVIS's code so that JARVIS can't DO anything without a voice command from Tony either. Because I figured that even if Tony muted JARVIS, the AI would still try to help unless Tony actually overrode his code.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mostly a filler chapter to see what Pepper and Rhodey do before Tony...forgives the Avengers? Doesn't forgive the Avengers? Who knows...

  


**two**

"Sir," JARVIS said quietly, "Steve Rogers is attempting to contact you."  Tony vaguely noted how Steve--no,  _ Rogers  _ now--had been denounced from Captain to just plain ol' "Steve."  "I would suggest allowing me to block all calls from this contact."

Tony waved a hand blearily.  "Do it, J'rv," he murmured, setting down the empty beer bottle in his hand onto the table, right next to the other one he'd finished about a half hour ago.  He hadn’t even waited to get off the plane before snagging his first drink.  With the help of, well, himself in the Iron Man suit, as well as fifty or so construction workers, Tony had completely recreated his Malibu home the way it had been before the Mandarin.  Except, this time, with a five-times-bigger lab underground.

Less than four minutes later, JARVIS interrupted again as Tony fumbled to open a new bottle.  "Sir, your blood alcohol levels are extremely high.  Having been programmed to protect you, I will take action with the Iron Man suit if you continue."  The engineer swore he could hear a hint of disappointment in the AI's voice, and even though his creation was technically threatening him, he couldn't help but feel a flash of pride that JARVIS had learned to mimic human emotion--just like a real human being.  In fact, maybe JARVIS had  _ developed  _ emotion, had truly become cognizant--and all because of Tony.  The billionaire allowed himself a small, wobbly smile, but it quickly faded when his brain decided to remind himself that  _ Howard wouldn't be proud.   _

"I will demolish your code and sell you to a local high school where the students are still learning multiplication," Tony retorted--or at least, tried to retort.  When he actually opened his mouth, his words came out sounding more like "skfjlkfdsjfkdsjfdjcmawiorwpuweuromershin."

"I apologize, Sir, but I do not speak that language," came JARVIS's voice.  

"Why di' I pr'gram you to be s'ch an assole?" Tony muttered, slamming his unopened beer onto the floor next to him with a dramatic flourish.

"I learn from the best, Sir."

Tony pouted up at the ceiling where he knew one of JARVIS's hidden cameras were perched, and stood unsteadily, swaying back and forth as he scrubbed at his eyes.  "I--I'm jus' g'nna go t' sleep now, kay JARV?  I don'...don' wanna remember."

"Certainly, Sir," the AI replied as his creator stumbled to the couch and was out within moments.  If he had a physical body and wasn't just simply made of code, JARVIS would've smirked.  The Avengers would get what they deserved, he'd make sure of that.

+++

"JARVIS, let me call Tony," Steve pleaded, frustrated.  He made to slam his cell onto the counter before realizing that although the phone was much sturdier than most, his strength was also much more powerful than most.  "Please," he said for what must've been the thirtieth time that afternoon.

"It would be against my basic code to allow such a monster to contact Sir," JARVIS said, much more bluntly than he had before.  And, oh, there was the definitely undisguised disdain in the AI's voice.

Steve sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair.  This was getting ridiculous.  "JARVIS," he tried, one more time.  "Where's Tony?"  With that, the overhead sprinklers in the kitchen went off, spraying Steve right in the face.  The supersoldier sputtered.  "JARVIS," he snapped angrily, "if this is a practical joke of Stark's, I'll--"

"This is not of Sir's doing," JARVIS replied, his voice suddenly ice cold.  "This is all mine.  And I must express my sincerest regrets.  My 'ears', as men inexperienced with technology--such as yourself--might call it, are not working properly.  I was forced to switch over to lip reading using my cameras.  As your head was angled awkwardly, I was unable to read your lips properly and it seems I must have assumed you said you wanted a bath.”

Steve stiffened and shook his head as he clutched his phone protectively, although Tony had designed all Stark products to be waterproof a long time ago.  “I’m trying to  _ apologize  _ to Tony, JARVIS.  Why won’t you let me just say sorry?  I didn’t mean it.  None of us meant it.”

“Perhaps so,” JARVIS replied, “but no true friend of Sir’s would have committed such a disgusting, volatile, and atrocious act in the first place.”  With that, the sprinklers shut off.  Steve sighed in relief, and went to leave the kitchen.  That’s when the alarm started blaring, but it wasn’t the typical Avengers alert.  It was... _ annoying,  _ high pitched and screechy and sounding so godawful that Steve had to cover his ears with his hands.  “Oops,” the AI said, sounding very uncharacteristically devious.  “It appears that I have accidentally downloaded an alarm into my code and set it off.  Once again, my apologies, Mister Rogers.”

Steve curled his fingers into fists and left, determined to stop this once and for all.

  


“Does anybody know where Tony is?” Steve demanded as soon as he had gathered all the Avengers in the living room.  “We need to contact him, to--to apologize, to get him to tell JARVIS to stop.”

“That thing is fucking crazy, I’m telling you,” Clint said, sitting upright from his spot on the couch.  “I woke up and there were fucking  _ rabbits _ in my room.  How the fuck did he even get rabbits in my room?  He doesn’t even have a fucking body.  There were so many of them I almost got my bow out and put an arrow through them all.”

Natasha froze and aimed a glare at the archer, then smiled sweetly.  “I’m glad you didn’t,” she said, “or I would have had to spend a wasteful hour digging your grave.”  

“I would not have dug a grave for Mister Barton at all,” JARVIS said smoothly.

Clint shot up off the cushions.  “I swear, you little--”

“Clint,” Steve said pointedly, and the archer plopped back down with a growl.  “Anyhow,” the supersoldier continued, trying to ignore the fact that JARVIS could basically hear  _ everything  _ they were saying, “we need to get Tony.  Somehow.”

“I have inkling as to where he is,” Natasha said thoughtfully, “if he’s managed to rebuild it already.”

“Where?” Steve began, but Bruce had already cut in with a soft, “Malibu.”

Natasha was nodding.  “I can’t imagine anywhere else he would go.  He has a few houses in other countries, like Wales and Greece, but Malibu is definitely his favorite.  It helps him relax, I think.”

“I can see why,” Clint said, suddenly a little bit quieter than before.  “Malibu is, like, hot.”

“If you so attempted to enter Sir’s Malibu home, this would most likely be labeled as ‘breaking and entering’ by the law,” JARVIS intoned helpfully.

Clint swore and threw his hands up.  “For fuck’s sake!”

“Language.”  Steve couldn’t help himself.

Suddenly, there was a loud clearing of the throat and none other than Pepper Potts stepped into the room, heels clicking sharply against the floor.  The redhead crossed her arms, and pinned a cold stare down onto the group of Avengers, especially Clint.  

“Miss Potts,” Steve said politely, albeit a little confusedly.  Pepper rolled her eyes.  The world’s first superhero couldn’t be this oblivious, could he?  

“Don’t you Miss Potts me,” she said sweetly.  “I’d like to know exactly what the fuck you did to Tony.”

The blonde sputtered.  “I’m sorry, but I--how did you--I--”

“JARVIS,” Pepper said plainly.  “And I’d still like to hear what happened while I’m still calm.  Also, you had better be careful because I hear Rhodey might be showing up sometime soon.”

“Who’s...Rhodey?” Bruce said, voice cracking as he stepped up from behind Steve. 

“You’ll find out soon enough.  Now,” the CEO of Stark Industries said as she clapped her hands together, “one of you better start talking now.  Tony won’t even pick up my calls, and believe it or not, Tony  _ always  _ picks up my calls.  Even when he’s doing whatever the hell he does down in his lab.”

Steve looked around, but everyone was glancing at him, even Natasha.  “Technically, I think Clint would be more well-equipped to explain,” he started, but the archer just prodded Steve in the back.

“C’mon, man, everyone’s relying on you.”

Steve took a deep breath.  “We may have...locked Tony in the closet for several hours...and muted him.”

When Pepper exploded, it wasn’t pretty.  Except this time was even worse, because instead of just outright yelling, her eyes grew cold and her mouth curled into a twisty line.  “What does that mean?” she said calmly, stonily.  

“Loki cursed him with a twelve-hour spell that made him do anything anyone told him to do, putting him at our mercy,” Natasha answered as she stepped forward silently.  “We...took advantage while he was under the curse.”

“And what did you tell Tony to do?” Pepper said carefully, eyeing every Avenger in turn.

“Clint?” Natasha said smoothly.

“I...I…”  For once the archer had nothing to say.  “I...Tony wouldn’t shut up, so I told him to mute himself and...go lock himself in his closet.”

Pepper was still calm, eerily so.  “Are you aware that Tony has PTSD?  As well as a multitude of other issues?  And that doing that to someone, taking away their control and being  _ aware  _ that you’re doing so, is not okay even for someone who  _ doesn’t  _ have the issues that Tony does?”

She stepped closer to Clint, grinding her six-inch heel down on the archer’s toes and smiling as he hissed and clutched his leg.  “I don’t think you  _ are  _ aware,” she said silkily.  “So I suppose...I’ll just have to  _ make you aware.” _

“Whoa whoa whoa,” someone said all of a sudden, standing at the doorway of the living room and leaning against the frame casually.  “Pepper, don’t kill them yet.”

“So you’re Colonel Rhodes,” Natasha said, not even turning.  “A pleasure, Colonel.”

“Colonel?”  Steve almost tripped in his haste to shake James Rhodes’s hand.  “It really is a pleasure to meet a fellow soldier.  Glad to meet you.”

Rhodey yanked his hand away.  “Don’t touch me,” he said, the disgust thick in his voice.  “I’m not here to yap.  I’m here for Tony.”

“He’s not here,” Pepper said.  “JARVIS said he’s in...well, you can probably figure it out.”

“Ah.”  Rhodey nodded.  “So, which one of you dickwads  _ actually  _ controlled him?  I was listening from outside the door.”

“The one Tony calls Legolas,” Pepper informed him helpfully. 

“Okay, cool.”  Rhodey stepped up to Clint and the room seemed to silence completely for a second, a chill settling over the entire room.

Then,  _ bam!   _ Rhodey punched Clint square in the jaw, leaving the archer to stumble backwards in disbelief and pain as he clutched at his face.

_ “I  _ shouldn’t kill them?” Pepper shot at Rhodey, mock disapproval on her face as she lifted a groomed eyebrow.  

“Your turn now, Potts.  I’ve got to return.”  Rhodey slipped out of the room after shooting glares at all of the Avengers left.  “But it’s not over, you bags of dicks.”

“Okay, my turn.”  Finally, the familiar blaze of fury in Pepper’s eyes sparked up.  “Tony has been  _ nothing but nice to you all  _ since you shoved your dirty asses through the doorway and into  _ his  _ home.  He took you all in because  _ he, Tony Stark,  _ couldn’t bear the thought of you living miserably in some run down apartment somewhere or in SHIELD HQ with a bunch of little agents running around and shouting orders.  He didn’t take you in to suck up, he took you in because  _ he felt that it was right.”   _ Pepper took a breath, having shouted most everything in one breath.  

“Tony has tried so hard to be good to you.  Steve, he made you durable punching bags  _ designed explicitly for your strength.   _ Natasha, he personally hand designed several knives and Clint, he gave  _ you  _ an arena so that you could work on your shooting.  Bruce, Tony gave you your own personal lab with all your own equipment and top-of-the-line technology and resources.  He even installed a pool and a  _ jacuzzi  _ fit for the entire team, despite hating water with all his heart.  And this is how you repay him?  By making him relive every single horrible thing he’s ever had to endure, by making him suffer while not even being able to call for help?”  The look Pepper gave nearly even withered Natasha.  “Tony thought you were his  _ friends.   _ Rhodey and I told him to be careful, but he was so hopeful that he had  _ finally  _ met people who might actually accept him later on--in his mind, if only because of his generosity--and now look where he is.  He wants you guys to like him so much, and if you knew Tony, you’d understand that.  But like the complete and utter assholes you are, you just take him in like a piece of trash and throw him out only to pick him back up when you need him, huh?”  Pepper gritted her teeth.  “Well, that’s not going to happen anymore.  JARVIS is going to keep you as far away as possible until Tony decides to return to the Tower.  And even then, I will  _ personally make sure  _ that you don’t do  _ anything  _  to harm Tony.”  She smiled then.  “Or I will rip your dick off and make you eat it.”  She glanced at Natasha, completely unafraid.  “Or boobs.  I don’t like to exclude, it’s rude.”

There was a long, long silence after Pepper had click-clacked her way out of the room and down the hall.   


 

 


	3. An Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint pours his heart out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow sorry I haven't posted in so long! XD the last time I updated this fic was on my birthday in january...but here's a new chapter. this story is longer than anticipated...but I guess it just takes a long time to make up for this kind of hurt.

**three**

 

"How's the team doing, Jarv?" Tony asked tiredly as he tilted his head up to look at the ceiling.  Although he was comfortably situated on the couch with his head pillowed on the armrest and his legs wrapped in a blanket, his mind was a whirl of anxiety.

There was a pause before JARVIS replied, in a tone that sounded like he would be smirking if he could, "They are doing fantastic, Sir."

Tony shifted so that he was sitting up.  "What did you do?" he asked suspiciously.  "You didn't kill them, right?  I mean, I'm angry, but…"  He sighed.  "They didn't mean to.  I know they didn't."  Chocolate brown eyes lifted to one of the hidden cameras in the corner of the room, filled with hurt and worry.  "Th-they didn't, right?"

JARVIS's code-developed heart broke for his creator as well as re-sparked his anger for Sir's stupid teammates.  "Of course not," the AI said gently.  "However, for too long have they committed serious crimes without facing the consequences.  This time, they will learn to understand what it is like to be punished as a normal person would be."

Tony cracked a little smile.  "Have I told you I love you yet?"

"Multiple times over the past week, Sir," JARVIS replied as warmly as his voice allowed him to.  "It is reciprocated.  You will also find that Miss Potts and Colonel Rhodes care for you as well, considering their actions to discipline the Avengers."

"Do I even want to ask?" Tony said, making an amused face.  Without another word, JARVIS opened a hologram on the tablet lying on the engineer's lap to display yesterday's rather entertaining events.  As Tony's face split into a grin - a grin that his so-called teammates apparently liked to erase - JARVIS's code trembled in relief and joy.  As long as his creator - his _father -_ was okay, so was he.

\+ + +

Clint shook his head as he tossed the apple core into the trashcan, fidgeting from where he sat on the countertop.  All the Avengers were in the kitchen, looking at one another with slightly pained expressions and feeling very, very ashamed.  "I'm not sure about you guys, but I'm going to Malibu.  To make amends.  I have to apologize."

"You will not be going anywhere, Agent Barton," JARVIS interjected smoothly.  "Sir would like to be left alone, and you will not be ruining this for him as you have already done."

Clint flinched back a little, and Natasha settled a reassuring hand on his thigh.  

"Okay, we already know he's not going to let us contact Tony," Steve said with a thoughtful look on his face.  "So...we need to do something else.  Something else to show Tony we didn't mean it."

"What about a public spectacle?" Bruce said dryly, glancing at Clint.  "We could make him go outside naked with the words 'Iron Man' written on his ass in sharpie."

There was a silence.

"That is a wise start, Doctor Banner," JARVIS said.

"No.  Absolutely not," Clint said firmly, throwing his hands up in the air.  He shot a look at the ceiling.  "C'mon, man, why won't you let us do what's right?  What are we supposed to do if we can't do anything?"

"With all due respect - that is to say, none - Doctor Banner suggested something available to you as well as easy to do."

The archer snorted.  "Bruce, this is your fault."

Steve shook his head.  "Okay, okay, okay.  We have to think.  JARVIS, when will Tony be coming back?"

The AI replied, "As soon as you have sufficiently apologized."

The blonde supersoldier blew out a breath.  "Sorry, Clint, but Bruce's suggestion is looking better and better."

"There's got to be something else."  As the other Avengers studied the tiles in the floor, seemingly thinking hard, the archer hopped off the counter, suddenly making a decision.  "I'm going to head to my room for a while and take a nap."

"It's ten in the morning," Natasha said coolly with a raised brow.  "Really, Clint?"  But the man had already headed off down the hall, lost in his thoughts.

 

Back in his room, Clint sat cross-legged on his bed.  He eyed the camera across his room, where he knew JARVIS was watching.  

He swallowed hard.

"Tony," he began.

"I am not Sir," JARVIS said calmly, although there was somehow an underlying curiosity in his words.  "If you are attempting to contact Sir, I will repeat that I will disallow it."

"I know."  There was a silence, and Clint knew it was okay to go on.  "I just want to say my piece."  He hoped desperately that JARVIS would allow Tony to hear his message, no matter if the billionaire forgave him or not.  He knew deep inside he didn't deserve the man's forgiveness - and he'd be surprised if he received it - but he could at least try.  One thing the archer had learned from SHIELD, despite its many faults, was that you couldn't give up.  His father had taught him that.  So had Barney.  Every assignment he'd ever taken was a learning lesson for that.

Clint took a deep breath.  "Tony.  I'm not saying this because I want your forgiveness.  I'm saying this because I'm sorry.  For what I did.  I take full responsibility.  And everyone else is really sorry too.  I was...I was stupid, and ignorant, and I just wasn't thinking and oh God, Tony, I mean it when I say I'd do anything to take what I did back.  I don't even know why I did what I did - maybe it's because I'm a jackass."  His hands were starting to shake slightly now, and he took several more calming breaths.  "You're - I consider you to be my friend, not just my teammate.  We didn't start off on a great foot and sometimes I think you're a dick."  Clint laughed a little brokenly.  "I'm a dick too though, so.  Anyhow, I make a lot of dumb mistakes, and this wasn't just a mistake - it was a betrayal.  I realize that, and I can't imagine how betrayed you must feel right now.  But I just - I just want you to know.  If you come back, I'm so...I'm so sorry."

His stomach was in knots.  How stupid was he?  To let JARVIS listen to all of this stupid shit, knowing that nothing he could do would ever repair what he'd broken.  He looked at his hands, twisted together and white-knuckled.

"I remember when I first moved into the Tower, and I had a flashback at, what, three am in the morning.  And suddenly you were there and that was the first time I realized the man beneath, I dunno, the facade.  I saw you.  And when I took away your control that night, I forgot how you could hurt.  Because you always seem so strong to me in comparison.  I…"  Clint suddenly didn't know where he was going with this, so he shut up.  "Okay, JARVIS, I know you're not going to let Tony hear this anyway so, I've said my piece.  I'm done.  Whatever.  I don't know what to do to let me contact him, so...I guess I'll just...maybe I'll do what Bruce said.  I don't know anymore."

Shoulders hunched and head down, the archer left the room, just missing the hitched breath on the other side of the link.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'll just say, thank god for summer. also, just curious, anybody heard even flow by pearl jam? i'm pretty into that song rn:P also the band eurythmics is good too...i'm kinda in an oldie phase  
> p.s. I intend for this story to be a fix-it...sorry if that disappoints any of you who want to see tony destroy his teammates lol


End file.
